Ellen PhillipsQ: I recently caught my tween daughter online in the wee hours of the morning. Her mother and I can’t seem to make her understand the potential dangers in this, much less the fact she needs her sleep, especially on school nights. Any suggestions? – Fearful Father
A: Dear Fearful Father: I understand your fear. It was the telephone for my daughter, and the thought of her online as a tween or teen with so much hateful behavior on today’s internet makes my skin crawl.
For those who’ve already reared a tween or teen, you know the difficulties of getting kids to take your advice, even when they acknowledge it’s for their own good. Few greater threats exist today than online risks, whether it’s cyberbullying, inappropriate chat rooms, stalkers or pedophiles.
My friend Cathy Lewandowski, a public relations expert for AT&T in Tennessee and Kentucky, sent me some great suggestions to help parents protect their children online.
* First, check with your wireless and internet providers about parental controls, such as monitoring teens’ daily phone use to viewing their online activities.